All Blacks: Ethan Blackadder ‘excited’ to right the wrongs of Ellis Park defeat
Ethan Blackadder in action v Springboks
All Blacks flanker Ethan Blackadder has detailed how there is no increased pressure on his side ahead of a crucial meeting with the Springboks in Cape Town, detailing the squad are ‘more excited’ than ever.
New Zealand held a healthy 10-point lead going into the final stages, but late tries from Kwagga Smith and Grant Williams helped the Springboks run out 31-27 winners at Ellis Park.
“More excited”
Despite the defeat, the Crusaders forward detailed how his side are ‘more excited’ to now go and secure a win in the South African capital.
“I don’t think [there’s increased pressure],” Blackadder told reporters. “I think we’re actually more excited because we know we were close in that game. The motivation (in the group) is high to get it right.”
A victory in Cape Town would get their Rugby Championship title defence back on track ahead of two Tests against the Wallabies, however another defeat would all-but hand the Springboks their first title since 2019.
Where the game went wrong
The manner of the defeat left many people scratching their heads, with the All Blacks seemingly collapsing at a rate of knots.
With their rapid decline at Ellis Park in mind, Blackadder said they’re now just focusing on those ‘small margins’ they will need to ice this weekend.
“We’re just focusing on a few small margins, just about finishing the game. It was evident we just couldn’t close it out the way we wanted to do; and that’s what we’re trying to do, finish the job,” he said. “We just needed to play what was in front of us, and keep playing footie; that was the key.”
Nullifying errors
At times, the All Blacks were their own worst enemy in those last 15 minutes. Strings of both ill-discipline – including a yellow card to Ofa Tu’ungafasi – and errors allowed the Springboks to claw their way back into the contest, and Blackadder detailed how they will be looking to ‘nullify’ these this weekend.
“We fell into the trap, and whether it was discipline or an error that’s how they got back into the game,” he said. “Rugby is a simple game, and if you nullify that then teams can’t come back.”
“We started the game well, but we let the Springboks come in at certain times. Whether it was through errors or discipline, they got back into the game. For us, it’s about nullifying that by being squeaky clean to not let them play the way they want to.”
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